Assessment of Fungi in Obtaining the chiral and active metabolite Fexofenadine.

• Grant number: 11/15419-1
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Medicines Analysis and Control
• Principal researcher: Anderson Rodrigo Moraes de Oliveira
• Grantee: Gisele Maria Metta
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Available commercially as Allegra D®, fexofendine has been the drug of first choice for the symptomatic treatment of allergic manifestations, as a non-sedating antihistamine agent. It is an active and chiral metabolite of terfenadine, a drug whose production and trading was suspended due to adverse events. The aim of this project is to develop and to validate a method to be further applied in a stereoselective biotransformation study and thus assess the ability of fungi in biotransform the drug terfenadine into its active metabolite, and therefore, to propose a new way of obtaining this drug, preferably in its pure enantiomeric form. It is known that fungal biotransformation studies have been presented as a promising alternative to provide enantio reactions as well as the production of chiral compounds from racemic mixtures. For this purpose, will be employed miniaturized extraction techniques, such as hollow phase liquid phase microextraction or dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction. As analytical technique it will be employed high performance liquid chromatography or capillary electrophoresis.